Garment hanger



Feb. 4, 1969 w.r E. MAULDIN GARMENT HANGER Filed Oct. 6, 1967 mina:

mm/ff UnitedStates Patent O 3,425,604 GARMENT HANGER William E. Mauldin, 3596 Fieldcrest Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211 Filed Oct. 6, 1967, Ser. No. 673,333 U.S. Cl. 223-88 Int. Cl. A471' 51 /098 2 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to garment hangers and, more particularly, this invention relates to an improvement in garment hangers.

Historically speaking, garment hangers have been known and used for many years past. Basically, a garment han-ger is -a `device that hangs or suspends garments in a freely hanging position. Generally speaking, it is a metal or wooden device that lits inside a garment or holds a garment thereon for hanging the garment from a hook or rod ysuch as in a closet. There are many different types of garment hangers known and used today. Such different garment hanger types include those which have been designed and developed for limited or specialty uses. For example, there are hanger structures known for hanging only trousers or slacks, for hanging only skirts, and so forth.

'Ihe basic type of garment hanger used, however, is typified by the widely used wire garment hanger. The wire -garment hanger is generally formed with downwardly and outwardly depending shoulder beams in an inverted V'shaped configuration. The -opposed ends of the beams may be connected by a cross rod. Such a wire hanger may be referred to as having the geometry of a v flattened isosceles triangle when the cross rod is used. The wire hanger is, of course, provided with a hook extending upwardly from the apex of the shoulder beams to permit hanging from a closet rod. The wire hanger has found widespread commercial application and use because it may be easily and economically manufactured from a single piece of wire.

Another old and well-known hanger structure is the wooden hanger having the same basic inverted V-shaped configuration as that described for the wire hanger. In the wooden hanger, however, the shoulder beams, as well as the cross rod when one is used, are formed of wood. While the manufacturing costs of the wooden han-ger may not be as low as for the wire hanger, the wooden hanger generally gives better and more complete support to the garment hanging on it.

There are modifications known for the basic wire and wooden hanger configuration. For example, the basic, flattened, inverted V-shaped shoulder beam configuration, with or without the cross bar, may be adapted for evening dresses and other type dresses with shoulder straps. The evening dress hanger generally comprises only a pair of outwardly iiaring `and downwardly depending shoulder beams in the inverted V-shaped fashion. A hook is provided at the apex of the `shoulder beams to facilitate hanging the hanger in the closet or the like.

Near the end of each beam there is a notch in the beam, the notch being provided to receive the shoulder straps 0f the dress so that the straps do not fall off the hanger arms.

However, all known types of garment hangers, to the best of my knowledge, that are of the inverted V-shaped shoulder beam configuration, carry shoulder beams that have a relatively low coefficient of surface friction, that is, such shoulder beams are relatively slippery. In addition, when such a garment hanger is provided with a cross rod, the cross rod itself is generally of the same surface finish as that of the hangers shoulder beams. Such a surface finish has been found to be undesirable at times because of the relative ease with which garments tend to slip off the contact surfaces of the garment hanger. This is particularly true in the case of trousers or slacks hung on the cross rod, but is also true in the case of coats, jackets and the like hung on the shoulder beams.

The garment hanger of this invention substantially o'bvates the slipperiness problems inherent in the garment contact surfaces of the basic inverted V-shaped garment hanger well-known in the prior art. The garment hanger of this invention basically comprises hook means, and two shoulder beams connected to the hook means depending downwardly and outwardly in flattened, inverted V-shaped configuration, the shoulder beams having a dimpled surface at least in those areas where garments are to be hung. Such a dimpled surface for the shoulder beams of a garment hanger have been found to substantially increase the coeilicient of surface friction and, thereby, reduce the tendency of the garment to slip off the hanger.

Thus, it has been an objective of this invention to provide a garment hanger of inverted V-shaped conguration with increased garment slip resistance.

It has been another objective of this invention to provide a garment hanger molded from a thermoplastic so that the hanger is both light in weight and economical to manufacture.

These and other objectives and advantages o-f the invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with. the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of the garment hanger of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the garment hanger illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 1 illustrates a garment hanger, constructed in accordance lwith this invention, that is primarily adapted for use with mens suits. However, it will be understood that although the garment hanger of this invention will be described with reference to a mans suit, the principles of this invention may be applied to other hangers of the basic inverted V-shaped configuration type.

The garment hanger illustrated in FIGURE 1 includes a collar support section 10. The collar support 10 is preferably congured with a concave lare 9 geometry, see FIGURE 3, to better support the collar area of a suit jacket. The collar support section 10 maintains a hook 11 carried by a shaft 12, the hook permitting the hanger to be suspended from a hook or rod such as may be found in a clothes closet. The Ishaft 12 extends through the collar support 10 and is provided with a washer 13 at the end opposite the hook 12. The washer 13 is held on the sha-ft 12 by crimping end 14 of the shaft. A recess 1S is provided at the bottom of the collar support 10 to receive the washer 13 and, thereby, support the hanger on the shaft. Although a hook 11 has been illustrated other types of hook means may also be employed if desired. For example, a sphere could be attached to the top of shaft 12, the sphere being dimensioned to cooperate with a sliding flange permanently mounted to a closet rod. Such sphere and flange hook means lare often used for `hangers in hotel rooms, motel rooms and the like.

The collar support is provided with an opening 16 in its top surface and an opening 17 in the base of the recess 15, the openings or apertures being dimensioned to permit the shaft 12 and, thereby, the hook 11, to be freely slideable relative to the hanger structure. This permits that portion of the shaft normally extending above the top surface of the collar support 10 to be recessed within the collar support during shipment and/or storage of the hanger so that only a minimum box or storage area is required.

Shoulder beams 21 depend downwardly and outwardly from the collar support 10. The shoulder beams 21 are preferably provided with a bulbous configuration, the bulbous end 22 of each shoulder beam constituting the shoulder pad area for that shoulder beam. As can be seen from FIGURE 3, the shoulder beams 21 also provide a concave arc 23 geometry, the arc 23 of the shoulder beam preferably being less pronounced than the arc 9 of the collar support 10, to provide good support for the shoulder pad area of a jacket. It has been found that such a dual concavity relationship between the collar support area 10 of the hanger and the shoulder beam area 21 of the hanger provides a hanger that can support a suit jacket or the like substantially wrinkle free.

Thus, the shoulder beams 21, in combination with the collar support 10, comprise an inverted V-shaped, hanger configuration. Extending between the free end 24 of each shoulder beam 21 is a cross bar 25. The cross bar 25 supports one or more pair of trousers in the known manner.

The essence of this invention lies in the surface configuration of those surface areas of the shoulder beams 21, the collar support 10, and the cross bar 25, that contact or engage the garment as it hangs on the hanger. In those areas, at least, there is provided a dimpled surface such as is illustrated in FIGURE l. It has been found that such a dimpled surface reduces the coefficient of surface friction for the hangers working surface areas relative to similar hangers having smooth or substantially smooth surfaces. Such an increase in the coefficient of surface friction permits a suit jacket to be hung on the shoulder beams 21 of the hanger without fear of the jacket slip* ping off the hanger. Likewise, trousers are retained on the cross bar 25 of the hanger without slipping off the bar.

While it is necessary that only those surface areas of the hanger which contact the garment have the dimpled surface, it is preferred that the entire surface area of the hanger be provided with such a dimpled surface.

The garment hanger of this invention is preferably formed hollow, see FIGURE 2. That is, the collar support 10, shoulder beams 21, and cross bar 25 are all substantially hollow. This permits the garment hanger to be fabricated with both lightness of weight and economy of cost. Preferably, such a hollow garment hanger is fabricated from a thermoplastic such as, for example, an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) thermoplastic. Such a thermoplastic has been found most desirable not only from the fabrication standpoint, but from the end use standpoint of the garment hanger as well, because of the attributes it conveys to the hanger in terms of coefficient of surface friction characteristics.

The hanger of this invention may be fabricated by blow molding techniques. The basic steps involved in blow molding thermoplastics are 'well-known in the art and include (a) entrapping a parison, that is, a softened hollow body of a thermoplastic material, in a mold cavity, (b) introducing a fluid, such as air, under pressure to cause inflation of the parison until it conforms to the configuration of the mold cavity, and (c) allowing sufficient residence time of the article in the mold, while maintaining the air pressure, to permit cooling of the newly formed article. Thus, blow molding, by its very nature, forms a hollow, single walled article and is most adaptable to forming the garment hanger geometry and dimpled surface configuration of this invention.

Having described the most preferred embodiment of my invention in detail, what I desire to claim and protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A garment hanger `adapted to depend from an overhead support comprising.

two shoulder beams having bulbous ends and depending downwardly, outwardly and forwardly in inverted V-shaped configuration, each of said shoulder beams having top and side surfaces over which a garment may be draped.

an upstanding collar support having side garment engagin g surfaces and being integrally disposed between said shoulder beams,

hook means mounted to and extending upwardly from said collar support,

a cross bar having top and side surfaces over which ya garment may be draped extending between the free end of each of said shoulder beams,

said collar support, shoulder beams and cross bar being molded of a thermoplastic material and being substantially hollow in cross-sectional configuration,

dimples integrally molded on said top and side surfaces of said shoulder beams and said cross bar and also a garment may be draped extending between the free 2. A garment hanger as set forth in claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic is an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene plastic.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,170,319 8/1939 Cantwell 223-88 2,419,435 4/1947 Behr 223-88 2,590,811 3/1952 Zimmerman et al.

2,819,829 1/1958 Gensmer et al 223-98 2,866,583 12/1958 Batts 223-88 3,059,824 10/1962 Henry 223-88 3,301,445 1/1967 Tobia 223-88 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,019,312 10/1952 France. 1,342,925 10/1962 France.

HERBERT F. ROSS, Primary Examiner.

G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,425,604 February 4, 1969 William E. Mauldin It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 4 line 43, a garment may be draped extending between the free" should read molded on said Side surface of said colleu: Support.

Signed and sealed this 24th day of March 1970.

.(SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

